


He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

by mollus



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Desserts, Excessive Use of Victorian Symbolism, Florist Steve Rogers, M/M, Manager Bucky Barnes, Meddling, Misunderstanding, Pining, Sass, but just the one, not necessarily in that order, novelty tshirts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-04 20:52:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13372848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollus/pseuds/mollus
Summary: In which there are flower arrangements used as both insults and flirting, delicious desserts, well-meaning meddling, and a whole lot of pining.





	1. Daffodils

The man at the counter came striding out from his back room, and presented the bouquet with an (alarming, Bucky thought) flourish.

“Ta-da!” He exclaimed, looking at Bucky expectantly.

Bucky’s eye twitched.

“Roses.” He said flatly. “A dozen roses.”

“Of course!” The man said officiously, as he fluffed the vase of flowers. “The most _expensive_ bouquet we stock.”

There was a slightly awkward pause.

“And… _yellow_ , roses.” Bucky continued.

The man sniffed. “To add a bit of _pep_ and _originality_! _Just_ the thing for a new restaurant. And our most expensive bouquet.” He presented the last statement like it was supposed to impress Bucky.

They stared at each other.

Bucky pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

“Or… maybe, red roses?” The man tried.

Bucky sighed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Excerpt from The New York Times _Restaurant Search_**

**_Restaurant Review by Pete Wells_ **

**_July 31, 2017_ **

**_[… with so much success at their flagship restaurant,_ Iron and Gold _,_ Red Star _certainly has a tall order to fill to follow up. Nevertheless, this exclusive gourmet dessert far so far exceeds expectations. First time owner Natasha Romanova took me through her vision over dark chocolate truffles, molded into fantastic shapes reminiscent of…]_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daffodils- new beginnings


	2. Daisies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't actually know how to use Yelp. Enjoy!

Steve had been carefully, carefully watering a new orchid when the guy came barging in. He had nearly toppled a nearby cactus when he’d waved a finger in Steve’s face, demanding a bouquet in under an hour for an anniversary he definitely “didn’t forget, c’mon buddy, just do this for me I got a reservation to book”.

  
Steve had tried to explain that they didn’t have premade bouquets, with the exception of around Valentine’s Day, but the guy wouldn’t listen. He’d thrown a few fifties on the counter and told Steve he’d be back in an hour, his face in his phone on the way out the door.

  
He’d almost upset the orchid.

 

“So… you don’t have any, I don’t know, roses right now?” the guy asked, looking at the bouquet.

  
“Nope.” Steve lied blatantly, “Fresh out.”

  
He heard Sam snort from the back room, where he was going through their latest order of high and fantasies, valeries, and tea roses.

  
He idly brushed a rose petal from the side counter, where Peggy had been making an arrangement that morning. The guy didn’t even seem to notice.

  
“Well, chicks like this flower shit anyways, doesn’t really matter what kind. Ball and chain, know what I mean, buddy?” He poked at the bouquet in front of him, looking bored.

  
Steve carefully fluffed the arrangement of abatina sprigs, striped carnations, and clotbur.

 

“Yep.” He said, “This will send the right message.”

  
Steve smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yelp Reviews of “Red White & Bloom”  
55 Reviews  
$$ Florists  
1096 Bergen St  
Brooklyn, NY 11216  
(646) 270-7587  
Hours Today: 10AM-8PM  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Melinda L 6/24/2017  
4 Stars  
Beautiful bouquets and such lovely service. I got such a unique arrangement for my sister’s baby shower, and Steve was so polite (if quiet)! I’ll certainly be adding a bouquet to my weekly budget!  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Cheryl C 5/30/2017  
4 Stars  
Steven incorporated some flowers into my bouquet that I had never even heard of! My book club was absolutely delighted. Willow-herb was a gorgeous addition I never would have thought of. A tip? They’re less busy on weekday afternoons, and that’s also usually when Steven himself is there. You’ll want plenty of time for a personal consultation, ladies.  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Mary S 4/15/2017  
4 Stars  
They made me one of the most stunning arrangements I’ve ever seen for my wedding, didn’t even flinch when I had to change one of my bride’s maids’ bouquets last minute for a surprise allergy, and Steve insisted on calling me “ma’am”. Worth every penny.  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Jeff K 4/02/2017  
4 Stars  
Their shirts are the best part. Just trust me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daisies- new beginnings  
> high and fantasies, valeries, and tea roses – all kinds of roses  
> abatina sprigs, striped carnations, and clotbur – fickleness, refusal, rudeness  
> willow-herb - pretension


	3. Marjoram

Steve sighed, sending a nearby leaf to spin lazily to the floor.

It was the dead of January, and Steve was bored.

He stretched his arms up over his head, cracking his back as he did. And then yanked irritably at his shirt, which had ridden up his torso. Peggy might insist on these tshirts being “part of the brand” and “making us more popular on Yelp, do you want them to ignore us on Yelp, Steve?”, but he was eternally baffled as to why they had to be so damn tight all the time.

He surveyed his shop. A few hundred plants looked balefully back at him.

It was dead, dead, dead.

Normally Steve didn’t mind these afternoons. It was a chance to work with some of his more delicate flowers, sketch out possible arrangements (or impossible ones, depending on how far into a daydream he got), and make sure there was no mold creeping into the corners of the old store. In the middle of spring and summer, with new gardens and proms and weddings all at once, afternoons like this could be a godsend.

But not, Steve thought ruefully, in the middle of January during a polar vortex. It had been like this for the past three days, as winds had whipped across the city and pushed the thought of flowers to the very back of potential customers’ minds. He’d sent Peggy and Sam home early the past two days, after it was clear they would be stuck in this rut for a few days.

Steve slumped down on the tiny stool behind the counter and propped his head up on hands. If his eyes drifted shut for just a second, hey, it was his store… (what his mother would say if she had seen him taking a cat nap at the front counter, well, she shouldn’t have passed ownership over before running off to Florida).

He was adamantly not slipping into a very light daze, when-

BANG.

Steve’s eyes flew open as he nearly fell off the stool with a yelp, saving himself by clutching the counter in a death grip.

He stared around the store before suddenly locating the cause of the sound.

Someone’s face was mashed up against his display window.

Steve blinked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marjoram- blushes


	4. Vervain

Bucky was having a day. Scratch that, Bucky was having A Day™.

With a grunt of effort, he slowly managed to peel his poor abused face off the display window he had been attempting to examine before, of course, slipping on a pile of the godforsaken shit that would not stop falling from the sky, doing a probably impressive (and impressively ungraceful) twirl, and faceplanting directly into said icy-cold display window.

It had been almost starting to look up, too. Sure, this was the sixth flower store in Brooklyn he’d tried today. Sure, they desperately needed a bouquet in less than three hours. But at least this flower store had been open (the last one hadn’t been) and had more than fake flowers (which the one before that only had).

And the display window had immediately drawn his eyes, full of an almost startling array of colours in the middle of a street blanketed in dull grey. Rich bursts of roses and chrysanthemums and a dozen other blooms he couldn’t begin to name.

So of course, that was exactly when his shoe had decided to betray him.

“Are- are you _ok_?”

Bucky’s head swiveled, and he looked up into a very worried pair of blue eyes. Along with that, he dazedly took in six feet of honey-blond hair, pink cheeks, and a tshirt that read “TALK FLOWERY TO ME” that was definitely too small.

Scratch everything, Bucky was having THE MOST DAY OF DAYS™.

Because of course someone would see every second of his spectacular banana peel.

And of course, of course that someone would be a goddamned dirt-speckled _Adonis_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vervain- Enchantment


	5. Apple

“Thanks again.” The guy said, dabbing carefully at his split lip with the chunk of ice and tissue Steve had managed to scrape up from the back of the fridge.

“Don’t mention it. It’s my fault, really,” Steve replied. “I should have put more salt down next to the window.”

The guy looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

“Do people _often_ faceplant directly into your display windows?”

“Well, no.” Steve admitted, fidgeting. “Generally they don’t usually get quite close enough to the window for that… But still! People could get hurt, and as the store owner, it’s my job to-”

“Honestly, it’s fine.” The guy cut him off, smiling. “Like you said, most people aren’t stupid enough to get that close to the window when there’s like a million pounds of white bullshit everywhere.”

Steve smiled back. “I mean, when you put it that way…”

The guy rolled his eyes, still smiling. Then their eyes caught, and locked. 

The kettle shrieked.

Blushing, Steve bounced to his feet.

“The tea…” He stammered. “I’ll be right back.”

Steve hurried behind the counter to the small room in the back.

God, but this man was as pretty as any of the flowers in his shop. Silky black hair that was partially caught up in a bun, just a little bit of stubble… and that _smile_.

That smile could charm the pants off a nun, Steve thought.

And those eyes. Such a sweet blue, just like… like…

“Agapanthus.” Steve muttered to himself.  

And then blushed again, harder. Now he was comparing this random guy’s eyes to flowers? Time to take a step back, Rogers. He didn’t even know this guy’s name. He could be a raging asshole, for all Steve knew.

He kind of hoped not, though.

Steve quickly dropped some teabags into two mugs and poured the water. Taking the cups back out front, he carefully handed one over to the guy, who took it with a word of thanks.

They both quietly sipped for a minute.

Steve resisted the urge to peek over his mug.

The guy cleared his throat, sitting up straighter.

“I’m Bucky, Bucky Barnes,” He said. “Well, James, actually, but nobody but my mom ever calls me that. You know, uh, how moms are.” He coughed, and took a larger gulp of his tea.

“Steve Rogers.” Steve replied, switching his mug over to his other hand so he could shake Bucky’s.

“Oh! You’re the owner!” Bucky exclaimed.

“Uh. Yes, I am?” Steve replied, surprised.

“Oh, um. I saw your Yelp page.” Bucky said. “I like the tshirt, by the way.” He grinned.

Steve rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly as he tugged the hem of his shirt. “Yeah, Peggy’s idea. Something about ‘expanding our brand’, I don’t know. You’d think I’d be in charge of this stuff, but I just do what I’m told.”

Bucky laughed. “Yeah, I know a little about that. My friend Natasha is the same way.”

“Well, glad to know I’m not alone on the ‘domineering friends’ field.” Steve replied, smiling.

He _totally_ didn’t stress the ‘friends’ part. Absolutely not. Bucky could still be a raging asshole.

A raging asshole with a low, delicious laugh.

Steve coughed in an attempt to dissuade his traitorous thoughts.

“So, was there anything in the window you were looking at in particular, or…?”

Bucky seemed to snap back from somewhere.

“Right! Yeah, actually, I had a bit of a problem I was hoping you could help me with…”

Steve sat up attentively.

“Oh yes? What’s that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apple- temptation
> 
> I really want Steve's tshirt.


End file.
